1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to conveyors for conveying elongated cut strip materials and to stackers for stacking such cut strips. More specifically, the invention relates to apparatus for conveying strip materials, particularly flexible fabric materials, and stacking such strips to form cellular materials such as cellular panels for producing window coverings.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Cellular panels have been formed by stacking cell forming strips in a variety of ways. U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,936 discloses a method and apparatus for continuously feeding thin, narrow, folded, highly-flexible elongated fabric strips, having an adhesive on one face, to a stacker. Strip stock is folded and cut into discrete strip lengths which are conveyed to a stack. As they are conveyed, the strips are supported only along their lateral edges. The cut strips are removed from the conveyor and inserted into the stack by a push piston type stacker mechanism. The stacked strips are then expanded into a cellular panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,195 discloses a panel forming apparatus in which continuous sheets are fed to an adhesive applicator which applies a plurality of spaced apart adhesive lines to the sheets, followed by a cutter which cuts the sheets into strips and simultaneously stacks the strips in horizontal stacks. The stacks of strips form cellular honeycomb panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,039 discloses a method and apparatus for forming a cellular panel by stacking, in a stack support, successive folded, cut strips with adhesive beads applied between each folded edge and the central panel of the next succeeding strip, to form a stack of such strips. A cellular panel is withdrawn from a constriction formed in the bottom of the stack support.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,999 describes a vacuum conveyor belt for conveying cut strips or vanes to a panel forming apparatus. The belt includes holes through which a suction is applied to the strips.